by Reb Meir Of Essex Street
“You can have that Bagel Meir, I got it from Greenbergs; Its kosher,” Ruth said as I was looking over the food available for Sunday brunch at the Cigar club. The guys like to get together on Sundays and shmooze with a bagel and coffee, and of course a cigar. The guys talk about how the Yankees or Mets are doing, good stocks to buy, and where people are all planning to go on vacation. I thanked Ruth, and grabbed a bagel and after shmearing it with cream cheese, sat down and savored the moment.
Rob heard Ruth let me know the Bagels were kosher, and he said, “Whats the big deal Reb. What difference does it make if the bagels are kosher or not?” He’s not very religious, and likes to taunt those who are. Rob said, "Cmon- nothing bad is going to happen if you have some bacon bits in your salad. Whats the difference if you eat kosher or not kosher. What you eat doesn’t make you a Jew."
You’re right Rob, it doesn’t make me a Jew, just like eating treyf doesn’t make you a goy. But who said I was keeping kosher to make me a Jew?” I noticed the puzzled look on his face and knew I had him hooked.
“Then why do you only keep kosher? You think G-d is going to strike you down if you eat a ham sandwich? Nothing will happen.” Rob was getting all worked up over this.
A few other guys came over to listen. I heard one of them saying to the other, “Rob and Meir are going at it again. This ought to be good.”
Mark, an accountant said “I don’t keep kosher, but I respect someone who does.”
Alan, Richie’s son said, “Rob, what do you care if someone keeps kosher or not? Meir is living according to his conscience. That’s more than you do.”
Rob turned on Alan and said, “Who asked you squirt? This is between Me and the Reb.”
“Rob, We all express ourselves by the way we eat and live our lives in general. I express my Jewishness by the way I eat, and the way I live my life. You express something by the way you live your life, but we haven’t figured out what your life expresses.”
Alan wanted to get back at Rob and said, “I know what his life expresses…”
I saw what was coming and cut Alan off. “Watch your language Alan.”
Mark said, “He doesn’t need to say it Reb. We all know what Rob’s life expresses.”
The guys laughed. I turned the discussion to a more serious tone. “Now that you asked the question, lets explore it. What does your life express? What does it stand for?”
Rob proudly declared, “My life stands for prosperity, decadence, and excess.”
Don’t you want your life to make a difference? I want the world to be better because I was here. I want it to be more Jewish because I was here.” I was hoping to strike a chord with the guys.
Rob came back and said, “I do a lot of good things for people. I helped people get jobs, I give to charity. The world IS better because of me.”
Wanting to affirm the good things Rob was doing, I said, “I know you do a lot of good things Rob. And I know you have tried to help people and that’s great. But there is more to it than just helping people. Hillel said ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, What am I? If not now, When?’”
What’s that supposed to mean? It means you don’t put off doing good things for other people until a someday that never comes. If you have an opportunity to help people, you need to seize the opportunity. It also means that you have to take care of yourself.”
Rob felt pretty secure with that and said, “I take care of myself pretty well.”
“Not really. It doesn’t mean that you are supposed to pamper yourself. Hillel meant that you are supposed to take care of yourself regarding Jewish things, and you have neglected yourself terribly.” I could see all the guys were a little confused.
Rob stopped joking, and took on a serious tone. “Why do you say that? I sent my sons to Hebrew school and saw that they got Bar Mitzvahed. What more do I need to do?”
“When you don’t live as a Jew, you are sending a message to your sons and everyone else that Jewishness doesn’t matter. Will they believe what you send them to learn, or what they see you do every day?”
Alan was jubilant. “He’s got you now Rob.”
By me living a Jewish lifestyle, it encourages other people to live a Jewish life. If I let people know it matters to me, some may think it should matter to them
I said, “I don't keep kosher out of fear that G-d will strike me down if I eat treyf. I keep kosher out of respect for G-d.”
He said, You mean to tell me that G-d cares if I eat bacon and eggs? Doesn't He have more important things to worry about?”
"Of course He does, but He also cares about how I live my life."
“What does how I live my life have to do with what I eat?”
“You are what you eat.” Paul added. And you know what that makes you! A Pig.”
The Jewish mystics taught that eating unclean food polluted the soul of the one who ate it. I am not saying that, but you should understand that if you respect someone, and care about them, you try to do things that please them. The Torah teaches that eating the meat of certain animals are off limits. There are other animals that would be disgusting to you, like eating dogmeat or ratmeat. The non-kosher animals are in the category of meats G-d said are off limits to us as Jews. Its not wrong for Gentiles to eat it but, is not acceptable for us as Jews.
Why is that, are we supposed to be better than other people. I don’t believe that.
NO. IT is not saying that we are better, but G-d said that we are to be different. When we try to be the same as other people, we bring problems on ourselves. When we try to be who we are, then we are more content, and others don’t have a problem with us either.
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